Based on the number of teachers who’ve said they can’t go back to work because of child care issues and listening to the School Committee meetings, I get the impression that one of the issues that will be negotiated as part of the NPS-NTA Memorandum of Agreement is whether the City should in some way provide or offer support to teachers for child care. I have mixed feelings about this and am opening up this thread to get folks’ reactions so we can all benefit from the exchange of views. So let me toss out some questions and see how you feel. (Wouldn’t it be nice, also, for our public officials to have a public discussion on this issue before the School Committee and NTA go into confidential negotiations?)
On the one hand, the CIty does not provide child care arrangements or support to other essential employees–e.g., police, fire, janitors, school nurses. Why should teachers be in a different category? Further, wouldn’t parents who have to make similar personal decisions be upset if the teachers received this kind of support?
On the other hand, if the NPS really needs a certain number of teachers to work (either in school or remotely) to carry out the reopening plan, and that number is severely limited by a lack of child care (in part because teachers’ children can’t go to school here or elsewhere), isn’t it a practical thing to do to offer some aid on that front?
On the other hand, what form of aid would be provided? Perhaps it would be a cash reimbursement? But then, how would you treat the teachers who’ve already made family arrangements to watch their kids? Would you offer the same cash payments to them to pay relatives or friends who are offering what is now a free service? After all some of those care-taking adults presumably have an opportunity cost associated with being unable to engage in other activities.
Or perhaps the City would be setting up day care centers or contracting with existing centers. What would be the City’s liability, in a Covid environment, for housing those children? What standards would apply? Who would supervise the program and ensure compliance? Who would have the highest priority for access to such centers?
If offered to teachers, should day care arrangements also be offered to school custodians, school nurses, and administrative staff?
Those are just a few of the questions I’ve come up with. Please feel free to offer your own and to discuss your opinions.
If offered as a benefit, what do you do for teachers who don’t have children or don’t need child care? How do you make sure that all employees receive equal benefits?
Paul – Just an FYI, this item is not being negotiated. It’s unclear why NPS asked for childcare needs in the survey.
Ah, thanks, Jane. Is that your personal take or are you on the negotiating team?
@ Lisap. Why does it have to be equal? Teachers who do not have children do not have childcare expenses nor food expenses nor clothes/shoes expenses?
If so, Jane, it makes me wonder why the unanimous School Committee resolution had a provision that the NPS should “Develop childcare options for faculty and educators working in-person.” The discussion around this point clearly had a tilt that this would be the plan since, quoting one member, “NPS has already acknowledged that to make the staffing modules work for elementary, absolutely, and for middle school, to account for the number of teachers that are able to return but have childcare needs that would otherwise prohibit them from being able to return.” “This is something we wanted to commit to the faculty,” said another. https://newtv.org/recent-video/24-newton-school-committee-meeting/6383-school-committee-meeting-august-26-2020 (at 3:53).
So, if not part of the MOA negotiation, is it a unilateral promise made by the School Committee. If so, what does it mean? How and why would it be included in a vote without any sense of how it would be applied, what the cost would be, and so on. And how it could be implemented without negotiation with the NTA? I’m not sure but I think, under the labor laws, that an employer cannot provide a new benefit to union members without a negotiation.
Beats me.
I’m on the Executive Committee but not on the negotiating team. Throughout the summer, the EC met weekly and received updates about items being negotiated. There’s been no discussion of childcare and I didn’t miss any meeings.
I do note that this resolution was passed on August 26. Elementary teachers/staff need childcare tomorrow, August 31, when they report to buildings.
Thanks, Jane. Curiouser and curiouser! Well, the same question remains, I guess, with a different formulation. How do people feel about this promise from the School Committee?
Yes, and perhaps the school committee has more information about how they plan to implement the item.
The upshot here is that it is in the best interest of Newton to help teachers with this hurdle so that they can get into the classroom, as possible.
A number of districts, including Burlington where my cousin teaches, has extended FMLA to cover care taking of their own children, when other options are not available.
Consequently, many teachers are taking FMLA leave through January. Depending on the district, pay is via their accumulated sick days or through district 1/2 or 2/3 pay.
Teachers do not want to be using FMLA in this way. However, they have little to no choice given their individual circumstances. What do they do when their normal school and child care options have disappeared?
Of course, so many people are in the same bind. But, if you want them to be in the classroom, they need choices that will not force them to forsake their family.
If you were in their position, what choice(s) would you make?
It is September on Tuesday. None of this makes any sense. Why are we negotiating a MoA a week before school was supposed to start? Am I missing something?
I think the City and/or NPS needs to come up with a larger solution. Teachers, of course. But lots of us parents are in the same boat. I used to work specifically during school hours and was lucky to have a job to accommodate doing so. I was able to find camps this summer but I am leaving them in the lurch for fall. When can I work? What if I can’t anymore? The Y just opened up childcare but I’m waiting to see if there are less expensive options and so far there aren’t many options. I think Newton has a responsibility to aide the teachers and also the rest of the residents.
How is this being handled in other school districts? Is this something Newton-specific? How is that possible? I assume all teachers in all towns around us have the same issues.
Childcare is going to be a position at the y for children of teachers. Teachers are still paying the full amount, they just get a space for their child like other essential workers in the city have.
Thanks, Britni. Are you saying this deal is done? Is it what the School Committee meant? Is there any public document outlining these provisions?
Paul, in light of the logical explanation offered by Britni, I was going to posit that this post was a massive waste of keystrokes. But then I realized that it mustn’t have taken you too long to craft, since you have 50% more typing fingers that the average person.
Just kidding! This post is totally cool, and perhaps things really are as complicated as you’ve made them out to be. But maybe we can call it a draw and say that this fulfills your weekly quota of
Paulie on the NTA?
@Paul – all I know is what I have heard from my colleagues who chose ABLE but need childcare. Some colleagues received an email with suggestions for childcare in Newton (YMCA for older children, and two separate daycares for younger ones (all of which are unaffordable for teacher salaries)) and some people who chose that selection have not heard anything yet…
This should be a no-brainer at any time, but especially now. We are in a crises. Newton needs to do everything imaginable to find ways to open our schools. The cost is irrelevant…the City has stellar financials. If this isn’t a time to borrow to fund out of the box needs that help to reopen the schools, then I don’t know what is?
To me, this just adds to the lengthy list of items that might have been worked through over the summer with the most basic of planning. All of this could have been foreseen. There are so many out of the box suggestions that haven’t been explored…using space in old and vacant schools, renting space, tents, etc. There’a another thread on V14 right now about last minute confusion as to where teachers should report. If that’s true, then it seems like we’re in total chaos mode.
I’m former military. If equivalent chaos happened in that setting the CO would be relieved for cause. In Newton, we rehire leadership because we seem to believe that this would be a bad time for change. A change might be just what’s needed right now. We need accountability, and we need action from our City government. We need it today…
I fully agree with Jane and Britni. This is silly and unlikely an NTA request. The NTA would look foolish trying to bargain for this. Why would we want to treat teachers like the essential employees that they feel they are not?
I read four European newspapers a week and scan several others if I have the chance. I can find no other Western European nation that seems to put its citizens through as much turmoil and strife as we do in terms of allocating essential health care, childcare, eldercare and a host of other basic human services. This statement is a rough generality I know, but in Europe, it’s most often a basic and universal human right that relieves a lot of strife and anxiety. Here, it’s a crap shoot and a kind of dog eat dog crap shoot at that with more and more people fighting over fewer and fewer scraps.
If this seems like Socialism, so be it. I have friends in the Western European Democracies with comparable life styles and life experiences to people I know here. The Europeans lack many of the material goods that are commonplace here, but they seem to lead less stressful and calmer lifestyles because they aren’t worried about or fighting with others to find or afford the basics.
Bob: And each of those Western European “democracies” are on the brink of falling apart. The EU is breaking up, with the UK, France and Germany bickering over how to support those failing countries. Each year a new bailout is discussed. UK is leaving that E.U. as well in light of the fact that they (and Germany) are propping up the whole Eurozone. This is even with “negative interest rates.” Look at the taxes as well. Our generation may be fine, but future generations will have the opportunities our generation have had. I agree and think there is a better balance than we have now, but I suggest we build on what we have here, and not necessarily look at the EU for guidance.
Our generation may be fine, but future generations will NEVER have the opportunities our generation have had.